The weekend will be a big, dry one in Costa Rica. In addition to Costa
Rican national elections, Sunday is the date for Superbowl XXXVI, a time
second only to St. Patrick’s Day for U.S. citizens to swill beer.

But not this year here in Costa Rica.

Thanks to Costa Rican law, the bars and cantinas will be closed under
police seal from midnight Friday until midnight Monday. That means no alcohol
sales all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Restaurants must not sell alcohol,
and supermarkets must close off that part of the store dedicated to alcohol
sales.

The elections are Sunday, and polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.
The Superbowl starts in New Orleans at 5:33 p.m. Costa Rican time, and
will be available for viewing on the Fox network. The St. Louis Rams will
be facing the New England Patriots.

On Saturday, another dry day, the finals of the Copa de Oro Soccer Football
championship is played in Pasadena, Calif., at 2 p.m. Those cheers you
heard last night came from spectators watching Costa Rica beat South Korea,
3-1, in the semifinal game. Costa Rica now moves to the finals on Saturday
to play the United States team that defeated Canada in a last-minute shootout
late Wednesday.

Bars in downtown San José were closed Wednesday because Fuerza
Democrática, the orange party promoting Valdimir de la Cruz, had
a rally at 6 p.m. in the Avenida Principal just east of the pedestrian
boulevard. The stage blocked the street, but all traces of the rally vanished
by 9 p.m. The bars stayed closed.

Operators of tourist resorts are hard-pressed to explain the situation
to tourists, some of whom may be in the country only a few days. One hotel
owner in Nosara said that she might have a tailgate party for her guests
some distance from the hotel. Others are urging their guests to stock up
on beer and alcohol, although drinking probably will not be permitted in
the public areas of hotels.

The hotel and bar owners have good reason to comply. A law passed last
year raised the penalty for violating the alcohol ban or

A.M. Costa Rica photo

Manuel Soto Soto beams as he prepares the stage for a Fuerza Democrática
rally that took place Wednesday night.

tampering with the paper seals placed on the
doors of drinking establishments. In the past, violators could face
a fine up to 1.2 million colons (about $3,500 at the current exchange rate).
Now the penalty can be from three months to two years in jail.

Spokesmen for the Tribunal Supreme Electoral said that any establishment
that has as its principal activity the sale of alcohol must close for the
72 hours. Also closed are nightclubs. Casinos must close off the part of
their operation dedicated to alcohol sales, according to the spokesmen,
Carlos Rojas, jefe nacional de delegados, and Nuría Aguilar, a member
of the Jefatura Nacional.

During election times, the Supreme Election Tribunal is the top branch
of government in the land and takes control of other agencies including
the police.

The Patriots are hoping that Tom Brady, a two-year veteran, can quarterback
the team to victory in New Orleans. He will start instead of long-time
quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The Rams, who have won the championship twice
in the last three years, will have Kurt Warner as a quarterback. The Patriots
have made the Superbowl twice before, but never won. St. Louis is
16-2 for the year, including a 24-17 win over the Patriots.

Saray Ramírez contributed to this report

'Betty la Fea' wraps up its run with a wedding

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The ugly duckling had her night last night as the long-running soap
opera or telenovela "Yo Soy Betty la Fea" came to its predictable end.

The ugly Beatriz Aurora Pinzón Solano, played by Ana María
Orozco, completed her transformation to a beauty, got the guy, lost the
eyeglasses and the braces and might even have become a mother, depending
on how you interpret the final scene.

The Colombian telenovela has been somewhat of a phenomenon that has
meant big bucks for Telemundo, the U. S. Spanish-language network, and
the national television chain here. The show aired on Channel 11.

Betty is the highly educated, over-qualified bad dresser who takes a
lowly job at EcoModa, a clothing manufacturer. Only through her skills
does EcoModa keep its head above red ink, and manager Armando Mendoza,
played by Jorge Enrique Abello, toys with her feelings in order to keep
her working.

They fall in love, out of love, somewhat in love through the whole telenovela.

But Armando is a jerk, and as Betty loses the crummy clothes and the
schoolmarm glasses, a lot of Costa Rican woman were hoping she would find
true love elsewhere.

Ugly no more: Betty at the altar

She didn’t, and the show’s finale Wednesday
night was dominated by a big church wedding of Betty and Armando. For
a few seconds, an ambiguous scene even suggested that the couple would
soon be blessed with a new tiny ugly duckling.

In anticipation of the wedding, Betty, already a looker, no longer wore
braces on her teeth in Tuesday’s show. The glasses came off just before
the wedding, to reveal the true Orozco, no one’s candidate for ugly duckling.

Never fear. the show did so well that Betty, again played by the somewhat
reclusive Ms. Orozco, will be back as the female executive battling
to make her EcoModa firm a winner.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Illegal drug cultivation in South America is destroying
large amounts of the Amazon region's rainforest, a State Department official
says.

About 2.3 million hectares of rainforest have been destroyed over the
last 20 years in the Amazon basin due to the cultivation of coca, the crop
used to make cocaine. This figure amounts to about one-quarter of all the
deforestation that occurred in the area during the 20th century, said Rand
Beers, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law
enforcement affairs.

Briefing reporters Monday, Beers said the evidence shows that an "enormous
amount of cutting" is occurring "for no other purpose than illegal drugs."

Speaking at the State Department's Foreign Press Center on the environmental
damage caused by the drug trade, Beers said that in Bolivia "slash-and-burn"
clearing of new coca fields resulted in the destruction of nearly 40,000
hectares of forest land in that country's Chapare region in the 1980s and
'90s, while in Peru the amount lost was even larger.

Another problem caused by the drug trade, said Beers, is the large amount
of toxic pesticides that coca growers put in their fields to get a higher
return on their coca crop. Beers said that in Peru, for example, 346 metric
tons of pesticides are used annually. These substances are then washed
down by rain into the watershed, damaging plants and animals directly or
indirectly via the food chain.

Beers charged that coca producers have no conscience in terms of how
they are ruining the rainforest. For instance, coca growers cut down forests
to grow their illegal crop, and then abandon these areas after only two
to five years. They then move on to other areas, cutting down even more
of the rainforest.

Beers indicated that because of the "clear-cutting" of forests, "quite
significant" amounts of toxic runoff end up in the Amazon and Orinoco river
basins. As evidence of this environmental damage, he said illicit crop
cultivators cut down four hectares of forest for each hectare of coca planted,
and two and a half hectares for each hectare of opium poppy.

Reporters asked Beers to compare
the pesticides used by the coca growers to those used by the United States
in its aerial drug eradication campaign in Colombia. He pointed out that
"cocalleros" (coca growers) use a herbicide called glyphosate in much larger
quantities than is used in the U.S. program. The coca growers also use
far more toxic chemicals, such as paraquat and parathion, which he said
are "sprayed indiscriminately" on the fields in order to kill weeds and
thus allow coca bushes to grow more rapidly.

By contrast, he said, all the independent studies conducted so far suggest
no health risk to humans from the amount of glyphosate used in the U.S.
spraying campaign.

Beers said the United States, in partnership with the governments of
Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, seeks to raise the issue of how coca production
is hurting the Amazon region "so that people understand the seriousness
of it." Beers referred to a pamphlet produced by the State Department,
called "The Andes Under Siege: Environmental Consequences of the Drug Trade,"
which offers detailed information about the problem. The pamphlet is available
on the Internet in English and in Spanish at http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/andes.

Agriculture, trees,fish called 'central'

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

NEW YORK CITY — Agriculture, forestry and fisheries should be central
on the agendas of all preparatory events for an international conference
on development in September, says the head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development must help to reverse the
decline of official development assistance to sustainable agriculture and
rural development, forestry and fisheries, FAO Director-General Jacques
Diouf said Tuesday here. The summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, will
bring together tens of thousands of participants, including heads of state,
national delegates, and leaders of non-governmental organizations and businesses
to discuss improving people's lives and conservation.

Texas student facesgunman in Los Yoses

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

A 24-year-old Spanish-language student from Texas faced a gun and three
robbers late Tuesday night as he walked along Avenida 2 in Los Yoses.

The man, who has been in the country about a month, said that a red
car pulled up as he walked near Calle 31 and one man pointed a pistol in
his face while a second man took his valuables including a backpack. This
happened about 11:30 p.m. after he got off a bus after visiting friends.
He lives in the area.

The man lost currency worth about $10, keys, credit cards, a number
of CDs and a Walkman.

U.S. motorcyclistplunges to death

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

A U.S. citizen identified as Erick Edwards died about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday
when his motorcycle ran off a highway in Barrio Morazan in Pérez
Zeledón or San Isidro and plunged over a cliff, according to the
Judicial Investigating Organization. There were no further details pending
an investigation.

Meanwhile, police are investigating the death of two bicyclists in different
parts of the country. Melvin Chavez, 11, died when he struck the trailer
part of a truck while riding a bike in Peñas Blancas about 11 a.m.
Tuesday morning, said investigators.

In Guanacaste, police are investigating the death of Bismark Briceño,
15, who died when he was run over by a vehicle while riding his bike on
a road near Filadelfia. This happened about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Meanwhile, near Guápiles a 2-year-old, Marcos Gamboa, tried to
cross a canal by walking on a plank, slipped, fell in and died of drowning,
said the Judicial Investigating Organization. This happened about 8 p.m.
Tuesday.

Chile will purchasenew fighters from U.S.

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

SANTIAGO, Chile — The government of Chile has decided to purchase 10
U.S.-built jet fighters, dismissing criticism that such a purchase could
trigger an arms race in the region.

Minister of Defense Michelle Bachelet Wednesday told reporters in Santiago
that Chile will pay about $660 million for the F-16 fighter planes from
U.S.-based Lockheed Martin Corp. The defense minister said the purchase
aims at replacing obsolete equipment and should not be seen as Chile undertaking
an arms race.

Officials in neighboring countries have criticized Chile's plans to
purchase the planes, fearing it could spark a race by other nations trying
to match Chile's arms capabilities. The F-16 is considered one of the world's
most advanced fighter planes. The defense minister said the 10 new planes
will replace 19 Chilean (A-37) air force jets that have been grounded plus
an additional number of other fighter planes being phased out.

Chile will pay for the planes over nine years with funds from the copper
reserve law, which earmarks 10 percent of all state revenues from copper
sales to the military. Some politicians have complained that the money
to be spent on the planes should instead be allocated to social programs.

New vote plannedin Trinidad & Tobago

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

PORT OF SPAIN — Trinidad and Tobago's two main political parties have
agreed to hold fresh elections aimed at ending a six-week-old electoral
tie. No date has been set for the new balloting.

The Bahamian leader is part of a delegation of Caribbean leaders in
Trinidad and Tobago to seek a solution to the twin-island nation's political
deadlock.

Prime Minister Manning and Panday met privately Tuesday and are expected
to hold more talks later in the week. The crisis began after their parties
each won 18 seats in elections for the 36-member parliament Dec. 10.

Panday offered to form a coalition government with Manning, but the
politicians were unable to agree on a power-sharing plan. President Arthur
Robinson broke the tie by naming Mr. Manning to serve as prime minister.
Mr. Panday later said the new government was unconstitutional.

Bush will visitFox and Mexico

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

WASHINGTON, D. C. — President Bush will travel to Mexico to participate
in the International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled
for March 22, and to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox, the White
House said Wednesday.

The meetings of the U.S. and Mexican presidents "will be an opportunity
to address regional issues of interest to both countries and to review
progress in key areas of the bilateral relationship," according to the
White House.

Another earthquake

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

A small earthquake took place Wednesday about 3 kms. south of Aserrí,
according to the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico
de Costa Rica. The magnitude was just 2.6 on the Richter Scale, and the
quake was about 4 kms. deep.

Children’s items needed

Residents in Playa Bandera near Parrita on the Central Pacific coast
are trying to open a free day care, nursery and play school.

Desperately needed are children's toys, play-pens, cribs, used clothing
and baby and toddler items, said Charlene Fertig, who is spearheading the
effort. "Please look around your house. If there are things there that
no one is using and it would help us, give us a call at 289-6520," she
said.

Look out below

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

GREENBELT, Md. — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said
that an aging unmanned NASA spacecraft could re-enter Earth's atmosphere
within the next 24 hours. NASA said the probability of surviving pieces
of the spacecraft falling into populated areas is very small.

Murders of womenstir reaction in Juarez

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — This Mexican border city of Juarez continues
to struggle with a population explosion, a recent loss of factory jobs
as a result of the U.S. recession and an unending wave of violence. The
rape and murder of more than 200 young women in the city over the past
eight years has drawn particular attention to Juarez, which lies just across
the Rio Grande river from the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. Civic groups
are now uniting to demand action from authorities.

Leaders of 11 women's groups and several civic organizations in Juarez
have come together in a broad coalition in the past few months in an effort
to put pressure on local authorities to solve the murders. The groups were
brought together by the grisly discovery in November of eight bodies of
young women in a Juarez ravine. Police arrested two men and accused them
of the crimes, but they claim to have been tortured into confessing.

Many women's leaders are also doubtful of their guilt and accuse the
police of incompetence and indifference to the plight of young women, many
of whom have come to Juarez from homes farther south in search of work
in local factories. Esther Chavez Cano, who runs the private Juarez women's
shelters Casa Amiga, or Friend's House, says these more recent cases have
unified many divergent groups in Juarez to seek an end to the crimes.

She says the macabre discovery of the bodies in November led to a resurgence
in civic outrage. She says the non-governmental groups, like hers, have
never believed the problem was solved. They saw it as a latent problem
because young women kept disappearing and the authorities made little progress
in those cases. She says already this month there have been six murders,
five of which were cases in which husbands killed their wives and one case
that could fit the pattern of a serial killer, which is the theory behind
at least 90 of the cases from previous years.

Mrs. Chavez Cano says the government of the state of Chihuahua has taken
a defensive posture in front of the civic organizations' protests. She
and other womens' activists believe a recent full-page advertisement in
local newspapers that criticized the non-governmental groups was paid for
by the state government.

She says politicians should realize that this is not an attack on them,
but an attempt by civic groups to end the violence against women and to
save Juarez from what she describes as the law of the jungle.

State and local authorities say they are taking these crimes seriously
and have sought help from international experts. The situation in Juarez
has also drawn attention from the Mexican Congress which established a
special commission last year to look into the issue.

Journalist shot downin Colombian ambush

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

BOGOTA, Colombia — A Colombian journalist has been shot several times
while walking to his office in the city of Manizales, about 200 kilometers
northwest of here.

Police say a gunman opened fire on Orlando Sierra Wednesday. He is now
hospitalized in serious condition. Officials say Sierra, a deputy editor
with La Patria newspaper, had received threats, although the motive for
the attack is not known. Sierra wrote a Sunday column for the newspaper.

Authorities say the suspected gunman was arrested. His identity has
not been released. International media groups say Colombia is one of the
world's most dangerous places for journalists.

Meanwhile, a vehicle packed with dynamite has exploded here, shattering
windows and damaging buildings. No injuries were reported.

The blast occurred Wednesday outside the offices of a major Colombian
television station. Officials blame the attack on leftist rebels of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC.

Monetary Fund wantsArgentina to cut outgo

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Top officials from the International Monetary
Fund or the IMF are in Argentina to press that government to cut spending
in exchange for renewed economic aid.

The financially-troubled country is reportedly seeking at least $15
billion in IMF assistance to help replenish dwindling reserves.

The IMF, however, says Argentina must develop a plan for sustainable
economic growth as a condition for financial aid. The IMF withheld a $1.2
billion loan payment to Argentina last month, saying the government failed
to keep spending under control.

Years of budget deficits are blamed for Argentina's financial chaos,
which has triggered widespread protests across the country.

Argentina has been in recession for nearly four years and is in default
on its $141 billion public debt. The country also struggles to contain
an 18 percent unemployment rate.

Police on guardfor forum violence

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

NEW YORK CITY — Police here have closed down streets and erected concrete
barricades in preparation for today’s start of the World Economic Forum.

The five-day meeting will bring together heads of governments, corporate
leaders and members of non-governmental agencies at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in mid-town New York.

Authorities have tightened security around the hotel, partly in an effort
to prevent violent street clashes between police and protesters who have
disrupted large international gatherings in recent years.

After more than three decades of holding the meeting in the Swiss resort
town of Davos, the gathering was moved to New York to show support for
the city after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Fed makes no cutin fed funds rate

Special to A.M. Costa Rica

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Federal Reserve has announced it left a key interest
rate unchanged ending a 12-month period of uninterrupted monetary relaxation.
In a statement Wednesday the Federal Open Market Committee, the policy-setting
body of the U.S. central bank, said that it decided to keep the federal
funds rate at 1.75 percent.

Last year the Federal Reserve made 11 consecutive rate cuts that left
the federal funds rate, the interest rate banks charge each other for overnight
loans, at the lowest level in four decades.